Resolving a Small Disagreement at Work | Learn French in English

Sentence explanations

1. Je pense que nous ne sommes pas d’accord parce que nous sommes partis de suppositions différentes.

   I think we disagree because we made different assumptions.

   Je pense que

   I think that

   nous

   we

   ne … pas

   not

   sommes

   are

   d’accord

   in agreement

   parce que

   because

   partis de

   started from

   suppositions

   assumptions

   différentes

   different

   More detail

   Je pense que introduces the speaker’s current opinion: “I think that …”. pense is the present-tense form of penser for je; the verb is followed by que before a full clause. Example: Je pense qu’il vient. — “I think he is coming.” nous means “we” here and is the first-person plural subject pronoun. It identifies the speaker together with at least one other participant; the sentence itself does not specify who the others are. ne ... pas surrounds the conjugated verb to make the clause negative. In this sentence, ne comes before sommes, while pas follows it: nous ne sommes pas .... In less formal spoken French, ne is often omitted, but the supplied sentence uses the full standard pattern. sommes is the first-person plural present form of être (“to be”). With nous, the pattern is nous sommes. Here it combines with d’accord to express a state of agreement, and the negation makes it “are not in agreement.” d’accord is a fixed expression meaning “in agreement” or “agreeing.” être d’accord is the reusable pattern: Nous sommes d’accord. — “We agree.” parce que introduces the reason for the preceding statement: “because.” It is followed here by a complete clause with its own subject and verb. partis de comes from partir de, literally “to leave from” or “to start from.” In this context, partir de suppositions means to base one’s reasoning on assumptions, which supports the translation “made assumptions.” partis is the past participle of partir; with the auxiliary être in nous sommes partis, it forms the compound past. The masculine or mixed plural form is partis; for an all-feminine plural subject, the form is parties: Nous sommes parties. suppositions is the feminine plural noun supposition, meaning “assumptions” here. Its singular and plural forms are une supposition and des suppositions. Example: Il avance une supposition. — “He puts forward an assumption.” différentes means “different” here and modifies suppositions. It is the feminine plural form of différent, agreeing with the feminine plural noun. The basic comparison is différent / plus différent when a comparative is needed; the form in the sentence simply describes the assumptions as unlike one another. Together, nous ne sommes pas d’accord means “we disagree,” and parce que nous sommes partis de suppositions différentes gives the reason: “because we made assumptions that were different.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I think we disagree because we made different assumptions.”

2. Je pensais que le client voulait d’abord une version simple.

   I thought the client wanted a simple version first.

   Je pensais

   I thought

   client

   client

   voulait

   wanted

   d’abord

   first

   version

   version

   simple

   simple

   More detail

   Je pensais uses the verb penser (“to think”) in the imperfect: je pensais = “I was thinking” or, as here, “I thought.” The ending -ais marks the imperfect form with je; tu pensais has the same written verb form, so the pronoun identifies the subject. The imperfect presents the thought as a past mental state rather than as a completed event. client is a masculine noun meaning “client” or “customer.” Its plural is clients. The article and adjective would show grammatical agreement when needed, as in un client satisfait (“a satisfied client”). voulait comes from vouloir, “to want.” It is the third-person singular imperfect form: il/elle voulait. In this sentence, the imperfect places the client’s wanting inside the past thought: “the client wanted.” The imperfect is not the conditional; the conditional would be voudrait (“would want” / “would like,” depending on context). d’abord is an adverb meaning “first” or “at first.” Here it orders the requested versions, so the simple version is wanted before another possible version. It is written with an apostrophe and accent: d’abord. version is a feminine noun meaning “version.” Its plural is versions. The indefinite article agrees with it in une version: une marks the noun as feminine singular, but it does not by itself state a numerical count beyond presenting one unspecified instance in this construction. simple is an adjective meaning “simple” here. It agrees with feminine singular version; the written form is also simple with a masculine singular noun, while the plural form is simples. For example, une solution simple means “a simple solution.” Together, Je pensais que introduces the content of a past thought. le client voulait says that the client wanted something, and d’abord une version simple specifies what was wanted first. The complete meaning is: “I thought the client wanted a simple version first.”

3. Je pensais qu’il attendait une version complète avec toutes les fonctionnalités.

   I thought they expected a complete version with every feature.

   Je pensais

   I thought

   attendait

   expected

   version

   version

   complète

   complete

   avec

   with

   toutes

   all/every

   fonctionnalités

   features

   More detail

   Je pensais is the first-person singular imperfect of penser (“to think”): je pense is present, while je pensais places the thinking in the past. Here it introduces a past belief, followed by que in the full sentence. Example: Je pensais qu’il venait. — “I thought he was coming.” attendait is the third-person singular imperfect of attendre (“to expect” or “to wait for”). In this sentence, the intended meaning is “expected,” not “was waiting for.” The imperfect presents that expectation as ongoing or as the background state at the relevant past time. The form is singular because its subject is il; the fixed translation renders that participant as “they.” Example: Elle attendait une réponse. — “She was expecting an answer.” version is a feminine singular noun meaning “version.” Its gender matters for agreement: the adjective complète later has the feminine singular form. Example: une version simple — “a simple version.” complète means “complete” here and agrees with feminine singular version. Its base form is the adjective complet; feminine singular is complète, with the written feminine ending and doubled consonant. For comparison, plus complète means “more complete.” Example: une réponse complète — “a complete answer.” avec is the preposition “with.” It links une version complète to what that version contains or includes in this description. Example: un fichier avec des images — “a file with images.” toutes is the feminine plural form of tout, meaning “all” or, with a singular idea following in some constructions, “every.” Here it agrees with plural feminine fonctionnalités, so toutes les fonctionnalités means “every feature” or literally “all the features.” The form tous is used with masculine plural nouns; toute is feminine singular. Example: toutes les options — “all the options.” fonctionnalités is the plural of the feminine noun fonctionnalité, meaning “feature” or “functionality.” The plural ending -s is written here; the singular is fonctionnalité. Example: Cette fonctionnalité est utile. — “This feature is useful.” Together, Je pensais que introduces the speaker’s past belief. il attendait states what the identified third-person participant expected, and une version complète avec toutes les fonctionnalités specifies the expected object: a complete version containing every feature. The whole utterance therefore means, “I thought they expected a complete version with every feature.”

4. Vérifions les notes au lieu de nous disputer en nous fiant à notre mémoire.

   Let's check the notes instead of arguing from memory.

   Vérifions

   let’s check

   les notes

   the notes

   au lieu de

   instead of

   nous disputer

   argue

   en nous fiant

   by relying

   mémoire

   memory

   More detail

   Vérifions means “let’s check” here. It is the first-person plural imperative of vérifier, used to propose a joint action: “let’s verify/check.” Compare Vérifie ! (“Check!” to one person) and Vérifiez ! (“Check!” to more than one person or in a formal address). The form itself includes the speaker and the other participant(s) in the proposed action. les notes means “the notes.” Notes is the plural of note; the plural article is les, and the phrase refers to notes treated as identifiable in this context. A useful contrast is une note (“a note”) versus des notes (“notes” in a non-specific plural). The noun is feminine in French, though that gender is not marked by the plural form les here. au lieu de is the reusable pattern “instead of.” It introduces the action that is not chosen in favor of another action. In this expression, au is the contraction of à le; it is not a contraction caused by the following vowel. Example: Au lieu de partir, elle reste. — “Instead of leaving, she stays.” nous disputer means “arguing” or “quarreling.” The base verb is the reflexive se disputer; nous is its first-person plural reflexive form with an infinitive. After au lieu de, the infinitive is appropriate: au lieu de nous disputer = “instead of arguing.” The reflexive construction presents the participants as arguing with one another; it is not the same construction as a non-reflexive verb used with a separate object. en nous fiant means “by relying.” The base verb is se fier à, “to rely on” or “to trust,” and fiant is its present participle; with the reflexive pronoun, nous fiant refers to the first-person plural participants. The pattern en + present participle, called the gérondif, commonly expresses manner or circumstance. Here, en nous fiant à notre mémoire describes relying on memory while arguing, matching “arguing from memory.” The preposition à is required by se fier à. Example: En nous fiant aux indications, nous trouverons l’adresse. — “By relying on the directions, we will find the address.” mémoire means “memory.” It is a feminine noun; the full expression in the sentence is notre mémoire, “our memory.” The possessive identifies the memory as belonging to the speaker and the other participant(s), while the noun itself remains singular. Together, Vérifions les notes proposes checking the notes. au lieu de nous disputer contrasts that action with arguing, and en nous fiant à notre mémoire describes the arguing as relying on memory. The complete meaning is: “Let’s check the notes instead of arguing from memory.”

5. Les notes indiquent que la rapidité est prioritaire, mais qu’une fonctionnalité avancée est toujours nécessaire.

   The notes say speed matters most, but one advanced feature is still required.

   notes

   notes

   indiquent

   indicate; say

   rapidité

   speed

   prioritaire

   top-priority

   fonctionnalité

   feature

   avancée

   advanced

   toujours

   still

   nécessaire

   necessary; required

   More detail

   notes is the plural of note, meaning written notes here. The plural ending -s is normally not pronounced in French, but it shows that the noun refers to more than one note. Example: Je relis mes notes. — “I reread my notes.” indiquent means “indicate” or, in this sentence, “say.” It is the present-tense, third-person plural form of indiquer: j’indique, il/elle indique, ils/elles indiquent. The plural form agrees with Les notes, the subject. Example: Les résultats indiquent un progrès. — “The results indicate progress.” rapidité is a feminine noun meaning “speed” or “quickness.” The phrase la rapidité presents speed as the topic being evaluated. It is related in meaning to rapide (“fast”), but rapidité names the quality rather than describing something directly. Example: La rapidité est importante ici. — “Speed is important here.” prioritaire means “top-priority” here. It is an adjective that does not change between masculine and feminine singular: un objectif prioritaire, une tâche prioritaire. In la rapidité est prioritaire, it agrees with the feminine singular noun rapidité; the feminine form is not visible because prioritaire has the same written form in both genders. Example: La sécurité est prioritaire. — “Safety is the top priority.” fonctionnalité is a feminine noun meaning “feature” or “functionality.” Its plural is fonctionnalités. In the sentence, une fonctionnalité introduces an unspecified feature, and the adjective before it describes that feature. Example: Cette fonctionnalité est utile. — “This feature is useful.” avancée means “advanced” here. It is the feminine singular form of the adjective avancé, agreeing with the feminine noun fonctionnalité: un outil avancé, une fonctionnalité avancée. The adjective is not derived from the noun fonctionnalité; its own base form is avancé. Example: Nous cherchons une solution avancée. — “We are looking for an advanced solution.” toujours means “still” in this sentence: the need remains in force despite the priority just mentioned. It can also mean “always” in other contexts, so the surrounding clause determines the intended meaning. Example: Il est toujours nécessaire de vérifier. — “It is still necessary to check.” nécessaire means “necessary” or “required.” It is an adjective with the same written form in masculine and feminine singular: un élément nécessaire, une étape nécessaire. Here it describes une fonctionnalité avancée; the feminine agreement is not visible in the adjective. Example: Une réponse rapide est nécessaire. — “A quick response is necessary.” The sentence has two coordinated content clauses after Les notes indiquent: que la rapidité est prioritaire and qu’une fonctionnalité avancée est toujours nécessaire. The first says that speed has priority. mais contrasts that with the second clause: an advanced feature is nevertheless still required. Together, the utterance means: “The notes say speed matters most, but one advanced feature is still required.”

6. Une version plus simple qui inclut cette fonctionnalité semble être le bon compromis.

   A simpler version that includes that feature sounds like the right compromise.

   version

   version

   plus simple

   simpler

   inclut

   includes

   cette

   this

   fonctionnalité

   feature

   semble

   seems

   être

   to be

   bon

   right

   compromis

   compromise

   More detail

   version is a feminine noun meaning “version.” In this sentence it is the thing being described by plus simple. The article Une is the feminine singular indefinite article; it introduces a version without asserting a numerical count. plus simple means “simpler.” simple is the adjective’s base form, and plus simple forms a comparative with plus + adjective. The adjective agrees with the noun it describes, but simple has the same written form for masculine and feminine singular here. Example: Cette solution est plus simple. — “This solution is simpler.” inclut means “includes” here. Its base form is inclure; inclut is the present-tense form for il, elle, or on. The relative clause beginning with qui describes the version: the version includes the feature. Example: Le plan inclut deux étapes. — “The plan includes two steps.” cette means “this” and is the feminine singular demonstrative determiner. It agrees with the noun it determines, fonctionnalité; it does not itself identify a separate participant. Compare ce before a masculine singular noun, as in ce plan (“this plan”). fonctionnalité means “feature” or “functionality.” It is a feminine noun. In this sentence, it is the feature included by the version. Example: Cette fonctionnalité est utile. — “This feature is useful.” semble means “seems” here. Its base form is sembler; semble is the present-tense form for il, elle, or on. The construction sembler être presents something as appearing to have a certain identity or status, without asserting it as an absolute fact. Example: Cette option semble pratique. — “This option seems practical.” être means “to be.” It is the infinitive, used after semble in semble être. Example: Cela semble être correct. — “That seems to be correct.” bon means “right” or “good” in this context. It is the masculine singular form of the adjective bon, agreeing with the masculine singular noun compromis. The feminine singular form is bonne, as in une bonne solution (“a good solution”). compromis means “compromise” or “trade-off.” It is a masculine noun, and its singular and plural spelling is the same: un compromis, des compromis; the article shows the number. Here it is the status that the version seems to have: it appears to be the right compromise. Together, Une version plus simple means “a simpler version.” qui inclut cette fonctionnalité is a relative clause meaning “that includes this feature,” with qui referring grammatically to the version as the subject of inclut. Finally, semble être le bon compromis means “seems to be the right compromise.” The complete utterance therefore means: “A simpler version that includes that feature sounds like the right compromise.”

7. Je peux l’accepter si nous expliquons clairement le compromis.

   I can accept that if we explain the trade-off clearly.

   Je peux

   I can

   l’accepter

   accept it

   si

   if

   expliquons

   explain

   clairement

   clearly

   compromis

   trade-off

   More detail

   Je peux means “I can” here. peux is the first-person singular present form of pouvoir (“to be able to, can”): je peux, tu peux, but il/elle peut. The subject Je identifies the speaker, and pouvoir is followed by an infinitive. l’accepter means “accept that.” accepter is the infinitive, and l’ is the object pronoun meaning “it” or “that” in this sentence. Before a vowel sound, French le or la becomes l’; the apostrophe does not identify the referent's gender. The construction pouvoir + infinitive expresses ability or possibility: Je peux venir means “I can come.” si introduces the condition “if.” In this sentence it connects the possible acceptance with the condition that follows. For a real or open condition, French commonly uses si with the present indicative: Si nous avons le temps, nous venons means “If we have time, we come.” expliquons means “explain” with the subject nous, “we.” It is the first-person plural present form of expliquer: nous expliquons. Because it follows si in this conditional, it is present indicative, not a special conditional form. The subject is written explicitly as nous in the full sentence. clairement means “clearly.” It is an adverb describing how the explaining is done. It is related to the adjective clair (“clear”): une explication claire means “a clear explanation,” while expliquer clairement means “to explain clearly.” compromis means “trade-off” here. It is a masculine singular noun; the complete noun phrase in the sentence is le compromis, “the trade-off.” The same word can also mean “compromise” when the focus is on an agreement reached by concessions, so the fixed translation selects the sense “trade-off” in this utterance. Together, Je peux l’accepter gives “I can accept that.” The conditional clause si nous expliquons clairement le compromis gives the condition: “if we explain the trade-off clearly.” The complete utterance is therefore “I can accept that if we explain the trade-off clearly.”

8. Nous pouvons le présenter autour des priorités du client.

   We can frame it around the client's priorities.

   Nous pouvons

   we can

   présenter

   frame; present

   autour des

   around the

   priorités

   priorities

   client

   client

   More detail

   Nous pouvons means “we can.” Nous is the first-person plural subject, “we.” Pouvons is the present-tense form of pouvoir for nous; the pattern nous pouvons + infinitive expresses present ability or possibility. Here it is followed by présenter, so the meaning is “we can frame/present.” Présenter is an infinitive meaning “to present” or, with an idea or document as the object, “to frame.” After pouvoir, the following verb remains in the infinitive: Nous pouvons présenter... = “We can present/frame...” The pronoun le before it is a direct-object pronoun meaning “it”; in this sentence it refers to the item being framed, as reflected by the fixed translation. Autour des introduces the organizing focus: “around the.” Autour de is the basic pattern; before the plural definite article les, de + les contracts to des, giving autour des. This des is a contraction, not an indefinite quantity marker. Priorités means “priorities.” It is the plural of priorité; the singular is une priorité, and the plural article here is des. The phrase les priorités du client would mean “the client’s priorities,” while the source uses des as part of autour des and then continues with the noun phrase. Client means “client.” In du client, du is the contraction of de + le, expressing “of the client” or the possessive relation “the client’s.” Client is singular here; its plural is clients. The fixed translation identifies this client as the possessor of the priorities. Together, le présenter autour des priorités du client means “frame it around the client’s priorities”: le is the thing being framed, and autour des priorités du client gives the basis or focus used for framing it. With the subject and modal added, the whole utterance is: “We can frame it around the client’s priorities.”

9. Je vais mettre à jour la description de la tâche pour qu’elle corresponde à la décision.

   I'll update the task description to match the decision.

   Je vais

   I’m going to

   mettre à jour

   update

   description

   description

   tâche

   task

   corresponde

   matches

   décision

   decision

   More detail

   Je vais expresses a planned action in the near future: vais is the first-person singular present form of aller, used here with the following infinitive. The reusable pattern is je vais + infinitive, as in Je vais vérifier le document. — “I’m going to check the document.” This is not the simple present meaning “I go” in this sentence. mettre à jour is a fixed verb construction meaning “to update.” The verb is mettre; à jour completes this particular expression, so it is learned as a unit rather than as a literal description of putting something on a day. The construction can be conjugated for the subject and tense: Nous mettons à jour le fichier. — “We are updating the file.” description is a feminine noun meaning “description.” Its gender is shown by the article in the sentence: la description. A useful related contrast is une description — “a description”; the article changes, while the noun itself does not. tâche is a feminine noun meaning “task.” In la description de la tâche, de la tâche identifies what is being described: the task. The same structure is reusable with another noun, for example la description du projet — “the project description.” corresponde means “matches” here. It is the third-person singular present subjunctive form of correspondre, used after pour que because the sentence presents the matching as the intended result of the update. The pattern is pour que + subject + subjunctive: Je l’explique pour qu’il comprenne. — “I explain it so that he understands.” décision is a feminine noun meaning “decision,” as shown by la décision. In corresponde à la décision, the preposition à links the thing being matched with the decision. The noun can also appear with an indefinite article: une décision — “a decision.” The sentence combines these parts in order: Je vais marks the speaker’s planned action; mettre à jour la description de la tâche specifies that the task description will be updated; and pour qu’elle corresponde à la décision gives the intended result, namely that it matches the decision. Here elle is feminine singular and refers to la description, while corresponde is in the third-person singular form required by that subject. The whole utterance therefore means: “I’ll update the task description so that it matches the decision.”

10. Ainsi, le désaccord ne devrait pas ralentir le projet.

    Then the disagreement should not slow the project down.

    Ainsi

    then; thus

    désaccord

    disagreement

    ne devrait pas

    should not

    ralentir

    to slow down

    projet

    project

    More detail

    Ainsi means “then” or “thus” here and links the sentence to the preceding situation or conclusion. It can introduce a result or conclusion: Ainsi, il a accepté. — “Thus, he accepted.” désaccord is a masculine noun meaning “disagreement.” The form is unchanged here; le marks the noun as masculine singular. A useful contrast is un accord — “an agreement” — versus un désaccord — “a disagreement.” ne devrait pas contains the third-person singular conditional form devrait of devoir, together with the French negation pattern ne ... pas. In this sentence, devrait expresses “should,” not a firm prediction, and the negation makes the meaning “should not.” With a different subject, the form changes: je devrais means “I should,” while ils devraient means “they should.” ralentir is the infinitive “to slow down.” It follows devrait because a modal-like form of devoir is followed by an infinitive: Cela devrait fonctionner. — “That should work.” The infinitive is ralentir; its present-tense forms include je ralentis and nous ralentissons. projet is a masculine noun meaning “project.” Here, le projet is the direct object of ralentir: the disagreement should not slow the project down. The same noun can be used in another sentence: Le projet avance. — “The project is moving forward.” Together, Ainsi presents the statement as a conclusion. le désaccord is the subject, and ne devrait pas ralentir says that it should not slow something down. le projet is the thing affected. The whole utterance therefore means: “Then the disagreement should not slow the project down.”